Scout
"Don’t clomp about as if you’re a drunkard in Marienburg’s slums, boy! Feel your way around. Let the forest talk to you. She’ll tell you everything you need to know…if you’re quiet enough to listen. Such things a forest can tell you…more than most city-folk’d dream…" Advanced (Core) Scouts are rare individuals who are more at home in the wild than in the teeming cities of the Old World. They roam through the wilderness, following trails that few other eyes can discern, while keeping an eye out for dangerous beasts and unnatural occurrences. Scouts are often more comfortable with animals than other people. They frequently hire their expertise out to armies, Merchants, and travellers who need to go far off the known roads. They usually roam ahead of their clients, seeking out ambushes and other troubles that may beset a large group on the move. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (any two), Concealment, Dodge Blow, Follow Trail, Navigation, Perception, Ride, Secret Language (Ranger Tongue), Secret Signs (Scout), Silent Move, Speak Language (any two) Talents: Charm Animal, Mighty Shot or Sure Shot, Orientation, Rapid Reload, Specialist Weapon (Crossbow or Longbow) Trappings: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt and Leather Jack), Shield, 10 Yards of Rope, Horse with Saddle and Harness Career Entries Bounty Hunter, Champion, Charcoal-Burner, Coachman, Fieldwarden, Hunter, Kithband Warrior, Messenger, Miner, Outrider, Roadwarden, Runebearer, Vagabond, Woodsman Career Exits Cartographer, Explorer, Outlaw Chief, Sergeant, Vampire Hunter, Ghost Strider Scouts Outside the Empire While scouts are commonly found in the wildernesses among the Empire’s borders, they also serve beyond them. While outriders are expected to blaze trails and reconnoiter for organized caravans and large parties, scouts help smaller (or more covert) groups and individuals find their way around the edges of the Empire. Equally at home in forest or mountains, a scout can identify trouble, help hunt up meals, and keep watch. A scout is an invaluable ally, whether the task is to discover where orcs amass in the World’s Edge Mountains, map out the passes above the Ostermark, or lead traitorous discussions with the goblins or orcs of the Grey Mountains. While it may take some time to grow accustomed to the nuances of a foreign land, truly gifted scouts will slowly acclimate to any region. Their ability to adapt is vital to their trade, and their survival. Andrus Taurbach Andrus felt the calling of the woods and the Horned God early in his life in Talabecland. By the age of 13, he found the god’s grove near his village and became an initiate. On his annual retreat in the wooded Farlic Hills, Andrus embraced true wildness. Visions from Taal’s aspect as Karnos, Lord of Beasts, left Andrus madly animalistic for months. Holy men restored Andrus to sanity by taking him into their order and marking him with the facial and chest tattoos of the Horned Hunters. Andrus remained within the forests of Talabecland, making them safe for all of Taal’s creations while embracing the Horned Hunter’s ways. Andrus has seen the rise of evil among the trees, having slain many beastmen who hide in the forests since the death of the Beastlord Graktar. Rather than recluse himself among the woods, Andrus has become a notable scout in Talabecland. His rescue of the famed demagogue Ionor Suarlat and her fellow elves from skaven resulted in him being awarded a prized elfbow five years ago and he has been an honored elf-friend ever since. Other Horned Hunters whisper that Taal goads Andrus toward a destiny as a ghost strider. Andrus, as always, keeps his silence and simply listens to the winds, watches the trees, and ensures his weapons and senses remain sharp.